Russia gearing up to fight China? via Examiner.com

Check this out....

Russia beefing up defenses against China
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Mar. 27 during a speech at the Viluchinsk submarine base that Russian Pacific Fleet submarines will be armed with long range high precision weapons to enhance Russia’s strategic deterrent capability.
Western naval experts are likely to interpret this announcement as directed at the United States and its Asian allies but, it’s more likely the case that this move is directed at China with the increasing distrust in Moscow over Beijing’s intentions with an ongoing military buildup.
Moscow has been building up Russian forces in the ‘Eastern Command’ which encompasses the Russian Far East astride China. Military maneuvers and exercises in the Eastern Command have also been increased among both ground and air forces, including a large air defense exercise along the Russian-Mongolian border.
China’s Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) would have a large advantage in making a massive first strike via Mongolian airspace. Mongolia has no serious air defenses to speak of or many radar sites. Russian radars adjacent to Mongolia would likely not detect a Chinese air strike until it was practically crossing the border if the Chinese flew in at low level.
Russia has also been quickly developing cheap, unguided short range wide area effect tactical weapons which have the role of striking defensively at masses of advancing troops and vehicles.
One such weapons system is the improved Buratino TOS-1; a multiple launch rocket system mounted on a T-72 tank chassis which only has a range of three kilometers and no guidance systems for targeting. The Buratino fires high explosive incendiary and thermobaric warheads which produce no shrapnel but, incinerate all non-metal matter in a target area.
Though never a subject of reporting in any news media, Beijing and Chinese in general including Nationalist Chinese in Taiwan still view the Russian Far East as land stolen from China by Russian Czars. It was not until the late Eighteenth Century that Russia fully expanded to its present borders in the Far East with China. Russia had actually annexed more land than that from China before losing some of it the Imperial Japanese Army during the 1905 Russo-Japanese War.
Beijing's views about the 'lost territories' had as much to do with the Sino-Soviet Split of the late 1960's as a difference of opinion on better ways to promote ‘people’s revolution’ throughout the world and resulted in an on again-off again border war between the Soviet Union and Red China from the late 1960’s until the Soviet collapse in 1993.
Though quiet militarily along the border since then, a new problem has grown across the Russian Far East; illegal Chinese immigration. Unlike America’s immigration problem, illegal Chinese immigrants entering Russia are young men of prime military age. No women and children accompany them.
China has been and remains a Communist police sate with tightly controlled borders. It defies common sense that millions of Chinese could simply slip into Russia looking for a job because they cannot find one in a reportedly booming Chinese economy.
Russian generals are nervous about these developments behind their lines, as well as the fact that over half of China's 2.5 million ground troops are organized into offensive units specializing in blitzkrieg style land warfare, rather than amphibious assault as would be the case were these troops training to land an invasion force over water onto the shores of Taiwan or other nearby potential targets.

Illegal immigration from China.

A massive arms buildup.

Literature from Chinese think tanks that predict a war with Russian sometime around 2040.

Yeah.  At least the Russians are taking the situation seriously.  Has anyone noticed the wildcard in all this?  The Europeans.  They have no role in what could be the most hostile fight the world has known (meaning a war between the US, free Pacific Nations and China or China and the Russians).

But back to illegal immigration.  Did you catch that last blurb?  It defies common sense that millions of Chinese are migrating to Russia looking for a job in supposedly booming China...while not bringing along their family?

Yeah.  Something other than job seeking is going on there.

Ford Bronco built to honor US Navy SEAL Chief Adam Brown

Ok.  We've seen some hideous vehicles that made me wonder what the owners were thinking.  I now introduce you to a truck that makes me lust.  Pure 100% lust.  This truck is like a sexy woman without having to worry about the conversation.  Great to look at, a pleasure to get into ... and looks good either cleaned up or a little dirty!

Enough with the musings.

The truck was built to honor US Navy SEAL Chief Adam Brown and you can read the story at Four Wheeler magazine website (click here).

SOCOM wins the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) war...

Check out this article from Aviation Week.

As for the MLP, Greenert says instead of spending about $2.5 billion for an amphibious ship the Navy can spend a fraction of that for a new kind of ship that appears to be able to support an F-35B “as a lily pad, a shuttle,” with enough water, power and cooling systems to support Special Operations Forces.

Thoughts of the MLP have turned to its use to support Special Ops.  Its original role to provide sea base support has been lost in the sauce.

These ships will be full time Afloat Forward Staging Bases...pentagon speak for SOCOM only.

The Marine Corps is not only in a procurement funk but also a concept desert.  Its obvious to anyone that wants to see that the sea base as a 'real' concept is dead.  Anti-ship missiles that are dotting the world have seen to that.  200 - 300 nautical mile ranges make the very idea of NOT having to roll back enemy defenses laughable.

We're back to the future and need to make every dedicated hull count.  That means guarding religiously the amphibious ships we do have.  Making sure that we have no more clusters like the America class--ships without well decks.  We need to get the future LSD right...and not fall for the foolishness of "delays" for years to study the problem (in other words no bullshit ACV study).

We need new, serious, focused and honest leadership.

SOCOM, our allies, fellow services and future enemies are drinking our milkshake.

Its time to bitch slap them all.  But first we have to get our house in order. 

Blast from the past. 1/4 Ton Amphibious Truck.

All photos via World War II Database.

Basically they made the WW2 jeep amphibious.  Pretty inspiring.  I wonder why I haven't seen more on them?  According to WW2 Database they made over 12000.  It should have been a natural in the Marine Corps but its never talked about.

Drunk, off duty cop tries to arrest female ...

Thanks for the link Paralus!



Check out this asshat.

He's drunk, and supposedly he pulled this stunt after she wouldn't "agree to his advances"....the story is at Police State USA website.  Read it for yourself but something is wrong...very wrong in our nation.

I keep saying it and you think I'm crazy but shit is going to explode one day.  I hope you're prepared.  People stood by this time.  Next time someone is going to go center mass on this dick cop (or some other storm trooper wannabe) and when his buddies show up its going to be a HUGE firefight.

The nation isn't divided.

Its two nations.

The looney liberal coasts and the conservative middle.

Either some type of understanding is reached or their will be drama.

Israel jumps the USMC on V-22 purchase list? SNAFU's take on it...

photoshop via Sobchak Security Blog.

Hagel announced that Israel would be taking the USMC's production slots for the V-22.

Read the articles (tons of them out there) for yourself, but I have to disagree with many that are claiming that this means that the Israeli's are putting their stamp of approval on the airplane.

I'm a bit cynical on the whole thing.  I see it as ....

1.  The Israelis are getting a new toy.  Only 6?  Not enough to really make a difference and will be a very specialized asset for them.  Maybe transport for spies going into Iran so they don't have to jump or even for long range rescue of downed pilots.  But an everyday war machine?  6 just don't cut it for that type of thing.

2.  This is another move by Amos to protect funds for the F-35.  The grumbling inside the Marine Corps is getting louder and louder.  Everyone is waking up to the fact that the air wing is getting a disproportionate amount of the funding budget and something as critical as a replacement for the AAV is being pushed out.  The CH-53K is next in line for production funds and its going to be difficult to explain the F-35, MV-22 and CH-53K all being bought while the ACV, MPC and maybe even the JLTV (which I'm not sold on) are all being delayed.

All in all this is another budget game being played out as support for Israel.  I'm not impressed and I'm not surprised.  Future generations of Marines will curse the decisions being made today even more than I do.

Oldest CV-22 being retired???...

via nwfdailynews.com

HURLBURT FIELD — The oldest CV-22 Osprey in the Air Force’s inventory flew its last sortie Thursday morning.
The 12-year-old CV-22, called an Additional Test Asset (ATA), is a specialized version of the aircraft designed to test new software and hardware modifications for the fleet.
It is expected to go on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio by the end of the year.
“This aircraft has done just about everything from structural testing to software testing to (radar) testing to electronic warfare testing,” said retired Lt. Col. Tom Goodnough, a test pilot for Air Force Special Operations Command. “Everything that’s been released into an operational aircraft has gone through this aircraft first.
“Because it was one of the early pre-production aircraft, it’s become a unique maintenance challenge,” Goodnough said. “It isn’t the same as all the other CV-22s. It has its own logistics and because it has such advanced software, the maintainers don’t always have the technical orders up to date because it hasn’t been released operationally.”

Wait.

What?

It has its own logistics and because its such advanced software they don't have the technical orders up to date so they have to retire it????

Bullshit meter is spiking.

AFSOC rode CH-53J's hard...till the rivets were popping out and this plane is being put out to pasture now?  Something doesn't smell right with this story.

Fugly....

via Business Insider.

Here's the Porsche that Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon drives.
It's camo-colored and has bright orange rims.
He talked to ESPN about the car this week, saying: "It definitely draws attention, but there's only certain days I bring it out. I drive another car less attractive looking. It really doesn't bother me. It doesn't seem to bother anybody else. They might stare and recognize me, but I don't really try to make a big deal out of it."
Okay!

Money don't buy class.

I've seen ranch trucks or hunting rigs that are camo'd up but this is new for me. Can we say attention whore?  This is 100% pure dee fugly (fucking ugly).

Blast from the past. Heavy, Light, Awesome Armor...

F-35. US Govt threatens Turkey over Joint Fighter Project with SAAB???

via World Bulletin.net

For a while now, Turkey’s controversial missile deal with a sanctioned Chinese weapons firm has attracted much criticism from NATO and the US. Turkey has suggested extending the deadline for rival offers, and has openly challenged rival firms to place a better bid.
However, reports according to Turkey's Yeni Safak newspaper now suggest that the US, who has objected to the deal under the excuse that Chinese and NATO radar systems cannot be integrated and could possibly leave NATO systems vulnerable to viruses, is now claiming that Turkey’s joint project with Swedish firm Saab to produce ‘a national fighter jet’, saying Turkey’s efforts to produce its own fighter jet is a breach of the F-35 inclusive JSF program.

Wow.

It seems that this program has reached a point where even the thought of a rising power attempting to develop its own defense aerospace industry is a threat to it.

The arrogance here is breathtaking.  The Turks are a proud people.  I'm surprised that they haven't told the office to pound sand....but maybe I shouldn't be.  If history is a guide they'll bribe, offer increased incentives etc...to get them back on board. 

SR-72 images.

Note:  I've said it once and I'll say it a thousand times.  Lockheed Martin needs to section off its other divisions from the F-35 debacle.  They obviously don't care, but the fallout from that program will lead to wailing and gnashing of teeth in the future and their products will face undue scrutiny due to the association with that airplane.  Meanwhile it looks like SkunkWork still works....for now.

Navy cancels notice for additional Super Hornets/Growlers. Joint is now a liability.

Thanks for the link Dwi!

The "JOINT" concept is now showing its downside.

At one time the USAF was totally convinced that Carrier Aviation was no longer needed, that all future wars would be nuclear and that if aircraft didn't carry nuclear weapons or support those that did, then there was no need for them in the service.

The USAF also sought to kill the USMC,  cut the US Army to the bone and beyond, and reduce the US Navy to a coast guard (I'm being a bit dramatic but you get the point).

Luckily we didn't have "joint" thinking at the time.

Each service chief made the case why the "conventional" thinking of the USAF (which was rampant throughout society) was wrong.  The Marine Corps fought like dogs (devil dogs) to survive the onslaught and prevailed in the end.

Today, we have service chiefs that are so bound by group think that when one of them actually makes moves that his service believes are in the best interest of the nation, will allow his service to save money and make him a good steward of the public trust-----he is hauled back in line.  Check out this story from Reuters.

Oct 31 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy on Thursday canceled a notice about a possible order of up to 36 more Boeing Co F/A-18 fighter jets or EA-18G electronic warfare planes after the posting on a federal procurement website sparked confusion this week.
The pre-solicitation notice, which first became public this week, had triggered renewed questions about the Navy's commitment to the $392 billion radar-evading F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program by Lockheed Martin Corp.

Sorry.  But this is so obvious it doesn't deserve further comment.

The Navy stepped out of line and got bitch slapped.

I have no confidence in the Pentagon, Hagel, certainly not Amos and it appears that the rest of the monkeys in uniform are as corrupt as their boss.

Fuck them all. 

F-35. Live Fire Weapon Test with a AIM-120 AMRAAM

The F-35 Lightning II executed its first live-fire launch of a guided air-to-air missile over a military test range off the California coast on Oct. 30, 2013. The AIM-120 advanced medium range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) was fired from an F-35A conventional take-off and landing variant test aircraft. Test data and observers confirmed the F-35 identified and targeted an aerial drone target with its mission systems sensors, passed the target "track" information to the missile, and launched the AIM-120 from the aircraft to engage the drone. After launch, the missile successfully acquired the target and followed an intercept flight profile. Moments before the missile was about to destroy the target, a self-destruct signal was sent to the AIM-120 in order to preserve the aerial drone for use in future tests.

NO ONE IN THE PROGRAM OFFICE OR MARINE CORPS HAS EVER TALKED ABOUT HOW THIS PLANE WILL PROVIDE ENHANCED CLOSE AIR SUPPORT TO THE GROUND FORCES.

Plenty of talk about  "sensor fusion."

Plenty of talk about an intelligence node.

Nothing about close air support.  At one time in Marine Corps history, we strong armed the Brits into turning the Harrier into a bomb truck when they wanted a fighter.  Now we're getting a deep strike platform when we need a 21st century bomb truck.

Amazing and sad.

Jankel Jeep J8 ‘Pegasus’ Special Operations Vehicle via StrikeHold!

A couple of things...

1.  The idea of being internally transportable inside a CH-47 is spot on.  Transportation inside a V-22 was setting the bar too high.
2.  Jankel is a company to keep an eye on.  

KAAV with RWS & other pics from Seoul ADEX 2013.

Thanks for the link DWI!

Don't get excited by the weapons, get pumped up about the optics..you're looking at an AAV that is able to see at distance in the dark, able to locate threats in all conditions etc...

Looks like the S. Koreans aren't after full stealth in their next gen fighter.

This will be the next big thing in armor.  Medium tanks will become the next "must have" item in the motor pool

F-35. The last line of protection for pilots begins to crumble.

Thanks for the link Nico!

via Yahoo Finance.

Kyra Hawn, spokeswoman for the $392 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, said discussions were under way with the Pentagon's "testing community" but no decisions had been made.
"It's trying to do what makes sense and is efficient, without up-ending the intent of having these separate and distinct review processes," Hawn said.
Pentagon officials have said they hope to protect the F-35, the military's most expensive new weapons program, but mounting budget pressures have forced officials to look for efficiencies and cost savings across the board.
Michael Gilmore, the Pentagon's director of operational testing and evaluation, has been critical of past efforts to reduce F-35 developmental testing, arguing that it could lead to significant discoveries during operational testing later.
Gilmore had also warned against starting pilot training before more developmental testing had been completed, but the services decided to press ahead with training programs.
But Gilmore's spokeswoman Jenn Elzea said he would consider a more integrated testing approach, if structured properly.
"The Director of Operational Test & Evaluation is always open to considering the use of integrated testing, which uses developmental tests conducted under appropriate conditions to collect data for use in our operational evaluations," she said.
Traditionally, U.S. weapons programs have gone through developmental testing to flesh out any design flaws and then rigorous operational tests before the weapons are fielded.
But the F-35 program was designed to move into production while developmental testing was still in progress, an approach called "concurrency" that Frank Kendall, now the Pentagon's chief arms buyer, has described as "acquisition malpractice."

Read the entire article.

Operational Test and Evaluation is suppose to be the final guardian of equipment used by US personnel.  The idea that they would cave into political and economic pressure to get a plane into service before its been thoroughly tested is depressing.  I've feared that the entire Pentagon has gone belly up and this proves it.

There is no one left to look after the interests of the troops.

A pilot will possibly die because this plane is being rushed into service with untold number of undiscovered issues because we're doing production AND testing at the same time.  When problems are discovered later on, the entire Western fleet of aircraft will be grounded and costly upgrades applied because Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon are so desperate to get it into service NOW!

We are becoming more vulnerable than ever and all the proponents of this plane can yell is "stay the course" instead of lifting their heads up and realizing exactly how fucked up this program really is.

China's Y-8J Maritime Surveillance Plane flies beyond the 1st Island Chain. via Chinese Military Review.

Hiding those Carrier Battle Groups is going to be a bit more difficult...

F-35. Losing sales in the Navy to the Super Hornet & Growler.

When it comes to future tech I look to NAVAIR to see what they're doing and what they're buying.

Looks like they're buying E/A-18G Growlers.

It kinda makes sense.  We've been hearing grumblings that old fashioned airwarfare is out.  Electronic warfare is the new "coin of the realm"...that Growlers will be the heavy hitters when naval aviators go at it again.  So the news isn't a surprise.  Check this out from the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

One of the St. Louis area’s biggest assembly lines may be getting a new lease on life.
The Navy is considering buying 36 more F/A-18 Super Hornets, according to a notice posted this month on a federal procurement website. That move would sustain 5,000 jobs building the fighter jets at Boeing Co. in Hazelwood and suppliers around the St. Louis area for at least an additional 18 months.
The Super Hornet is the Navy’s premier fighter jet, but it’s nearing the end of its production line as the service begins to shift over to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The Navy’s last order is set to be made in the current fiscal year, ending Sept. 30, 2014, with the last plane due for delivery in 2016.
But amid Pentagon budget cuts and delays to the F-35 program, Boeing has been pitching the Super Hornet as a cheaper and more reliable alternative. And it appears the Navy may be listening.

Earlier this month, the Naval Air Services Command quietly posted a “pre-solicitation” notice on a federal contracting website, declaring its intent to “solicit and negotiate” a fixed-price contract for 36 more F/A-18 Super Hornets and E/A-18 Growlers. At $55 million per plane, the contract would cost roughly $2 billion.

55 million dollars per plane.

I'm more convinced than ever that the Super Hornet is the plane the Marine Corps needs (at least for its carrier mission) AND can afford.  Upgrades both in the open and classified should keep it competitive.  Besides.  The mission is to support the Marine on the ground.  Not to fight the deep air battle tagging behind the USAF.

If leadership and Marine Air forget that, then Marine Air is doomed.  The Corps will survive, Marine Air won't.  And if they're not supporting Marine Ground then why do we need them?

Excalibur. 155mm artillery just got even more precise.

The perfect illustration of the Marine Corps two tier air fleet.

The above flight of AH-1Zs, UH-1Ys and CH-53Es shows what I call the 2nd tier air fleet of the US Marine Corps.  The MV-22 is too fast to be escorted by our attack helicopter, flies to fast to be incorporated into air ops with its legacy cousins and is an outlier.

Which brings up the burning issue in procurement.  What are we building our air arm to do?  If its to support the Marine on the ground then we've over shot the mark by a large margin.  If its to integrate with the USAF in the deep strike role then we're spot on.  If its to marry up with Navy Air then we're out in la-la land.

The quickest way to lose a capability is for it to cost too much, have it not do what its intended to do, and finally to duplicate capabilities found elsewhere---especially if that elsewhere is the USAF and they have a greater knowledge and appreciation for the deep fight.

The Marine Corps will go on.  Marine Aviation might not.